Life After Death
by RabidAnimeGurl
Summary: Complete! Chapters got switched up but its fixed. When Nick dies he doesn't go to heaven or hell. So where is he now and who is this woman he is suppose to find? Please R&R! Sorry for the episode spoiler....=(
1. And So They Meet

A/N: The characters of Trigun do not belong to me. I'm just exercising my rabid faness and borrowing them. Hope you enjoy! 

"Well, Nicholas D. Wolfwood. Welcome." 

Nick opened his eyes slowly when he heard the sultry voice of a woman. He had to squint as he stared up at the bright white light above him. What the hell, he thought to himself. Then he remembered his last fight. His teacher, Vash's words of peace echoing in his head as he was shot. He made his way to a church to ask for forgiveness and then there was blackness. Where was he now? 

"Where am I?" Nick asked. 

"In the afterlife of course. You didn't think you survived did you?" The voice replied. 

"Heaven?" He knew it wasn't hell, it was to calm. 

The voice laughed teasingly. "You wish." 

He didn't see what was so funny. "I don't want to be here." 

"We don't want you here either, so this is what we'll do. You'll be partnered with someone else and placed in realm where you can live after death. Most of your life before death will be forgotten. You're still to attached to the world to go to heaven or hell. Now sleep while we prepare things" 

Nick closed his eyes even though he had questions. They were suddenly too heavy to keep open and the light became increasingly too bright for his eyes. He tried to speak but no words would form. He began to fall into blackness like he had done when he died. Soon he lost all thought and gave into darkness. 

  
Nick awoke in a queen-sized bed. Sitting up, he rubbed his hands over his eyes and temples as his head began to pound. He reached over automatically and got a cigarette. He lit it as he stared up at the ceiling and wondered what time it was. Maybe noon, he thought. His stomach growled, but he ignored it. He wanted to relax for a little while before he got in the shower. He needed to find a place to live. He spent more money renting hotels and buying food than he did on anything else. He smoked his cigarette to the bud, contemplating what to do before he got up to take a shower. 

_"Find her..."_

He stopped abruptly and looked around. Was he going crazy? He could have sworn he heard a voice. He remained unmoving for a moment, in case he heard it again. But there was only silence but for the words echoing in his head. He turned on the shower, hoping to drown it out. As he got in, he let his mind wander, trying to forget those words. Angrily, he turned off the water, realizing it was probably going to be one of those days. He dried himself off as he entered the room and quickly got dressed. Grabbing his gun and keys, he left the room. 

It was some time after noon, Nick thought. He walked the streets casually and put on his sunglasses. He lit yet another cigarette as he walked into a small store to buy a bag of chips and a soda. He stood out on the street, realizing he shouldn't have left without his Cross Punisher. He didn't think he would be getting into anything his fist and his gun couldn't handle, but he headed back to the hotel. He knew he should have eaten more, but first he needed to find out how to get some more money and there were other things he needed to deal with. 

_"There she is..."_

He looked around involuntarily, searching the streets and side walks. He didn't know what or who he was looking for. He kept walking to the hotel, ignoring the voice, the people around him, and the woman he was supposed to find as she walked past him. 

  
He sat in a small corner of the bar in a booth by himself. His Cross Punisher sat on the booth in front of him without blocking his view of the door. He figured he'd have another drink before he skipped town. He had checked out of the hotel after he ran into some punk who thought he would have a chance against him. He grinned now, taking a sip of his scotch. He had handled that situation and now he was bored. His blood was still churning and he needed a distraction to calm it down. He looked up as he heard long whistles when the doors closed behind a gorgeous woman. There, Nick thought, is your distraction. 

Her hair was black and straight as a pin, its length stopped a few inches above her slender waist. She wore a long thin red jacket that went just below mid-thigh. It dipped a little low, showing a small amount of cleavage and that it was more of a shirt because of her lack of anything under it. She wore pants as black and straight as her hair with low red heels. She wore red framed, black lense sunglasses as well, hiding whatever color her eyes were. He was slightly amused by the way she matched from head to toe, but he had to admit it looked good on her. 

Many men in the bar had taken notice to her, but she seemed not to care. She glanced around the bar and stopped her glance at Nick. He wasn't sure because of her sunglasses, but it looked as if she was staring at him. He returned the stare, letting a smile creep slowly over his face. She smiled at him in return and sashayed her way over to the bar. Nice hips, he thought keeping his eyes on her. He wouldn't approach her. Though she smiled at him, she still looked unapproachable. His guesses were proved correct when she rudely turned a guy down who had begun to hit on her. 

She ordered a drink and when the guy tried to pay, she balled it up and tossed it over her shoulder. The man, obviously not amused and obviously drunk, cursed at her violently. She ignored him as she took a sip of her drink. She took money out from God knows where and paid for her drink as she got up. The man placed a hand on her arm still trying to convince her to go home with him. 

She rolled her eyes. "When I want a low-life alcoholic with no common sense, I'll jump off a bridge." 

That made Nick grin, his boredom quickly fading away. The man tightened his grip on her arm and she narrowed her eyes dangerously at him. With her free hand she punched him in the face, sending him falling on his ass. Nick had predicted a slap, but not a punch so he tried to keep his mouth from falling open. She turned and apologized to the bar tender for the little scene and walked out of the bar. Some of the men were helping the trouble maker up, sending dirty looks towards the door the woman had just excited. Then they all walked out to follow and confront her. 

_"That's her..."_

Is it?, Nick thought to himself. Well, he'd better go help the lady out. She may have been able to handle that one man, but he doubted 5 or 6. He grabbed his Cross Punisher and hurried to the door, not wanting to miss any action. 

They weren't as far from the door as he thought they would be. It appeared that she had expected someone to follow her out, which is why all of them were able to catch up with her outside the bar. She showed no signs of fear; she even looked a little amused. They began to form a half circle around her as Nick set his cross to the side. He took out his gun and walked towards them. 

"Just six of you then. What is a girl to do." She laughed a little and tossed her hair over her shoulder, then put her hands in her pants pocket. 

She had a gun, Nick thought. It was only obvious. "What seems to be the problem gentlemen?" 

The men turned to him and so did she. Then one spoke, "Just handling some business. Nothing for you to concern yourself with so back off." 

Nick glanced at the woman then back at the men. "I doubt that." 

"I can handle them myself." They all looked at her. 

"You little bitch!" She rolled her eyes as one lunged at her. She stepped to the side and brought up her leg just in time for it to hit his stomach. She hit him in the head with her gun and he collapsed to the ground. Nick grabbed two of the guys before they could jump in and sent them flying into the street. She punched one man and kicked the other, breaking one's nose and breaking the other's manhood. They all took out their guns the first chance they got and began firing at Nick and the woman. Nick easily dodged and shot the two men he threw in the street. The woman had taken cover behind a car and when she had the opportunity, she shot and killed the remaining two men. 

They stood and stared at each other for a moment. Nick retrieved his cross and began to walk across the street with her following him. They walked off into darkness without looking back as police sirens began to sound. 


	2. First Impressions

They said nothing to each other as they sat in a private car of the train. He had already bought his ticket so she had to buy one when they arrived. Nick sat across from her and his cross as he smoked his cigarette casually. There was tension of course and questions. She had done this before, this skipping from town to town, he was sure of it. He himself had done it many times. Now they were on the run together. She wanted to stop in the next town to pick up her car and drive the rest of the way. He had no objections. 

"What's your name?" He asked. 

She looked up to find him staring at her. "Mika Firestar." He wore a black suit and a white collared shirt that fit him nicely and revealed some of his chest. He was little to skinny in her eyes but she knew he wasn't weak because of the large cross he carried as if it were nothing. He had short black shabby hair and a little stubble on his chin. His eyes were light-brown and attractive. Infact, all of him was attractive. "And yours?" 

"Nick D. Wolfwood. Pleased to meet you Mika Firestar." He smiled, staring into her golden brown eyes now that they weren't hidden behind sun glasses. He crossed his legs and rubbed his chin, still watching her. "So what's a sexy woman such as yourself doing on the run?" 

"Who said I was on the run?" 

"Its obvious, Mika." 

"How do you know I'm not here just to be your partner?" 

"Partner?" Suddenly he remembered the voice that came from the bright light, which almost blinded him because of its intensity. He remembered vaguely what it had said, mainly the part about the partner. The voices that kept telling him to find her and now he had. "I had forgotten about that. But that doesn't change the fact that you're on the run." 

She smiled at that. "So are you. How you manage to get away carrying this thing around is beyond me." She glanced at his cross, ran a hand over it. 

"Why are you on the run?" 

She shrugged. "Nothing big. A couple of robberies. A few murders now and then." 

Nick let his cigarette hang from the side of his mouth as he smiled at her. "Suddenly I don't feel safe." He watched a smile sneak slowly over her face. "I get the feeling you use you're good looks to your advantage." 

"They come in handy sometimes." She crossed her legs and leaned forward a little bit. "I think you're too smart for that though." 

"I think even a smart man could fall for whatever you throw at him." 

"I won't rob you Nick, or kill you unless you give me a reason to." 

"We'll see." 

Shrugging, she moved his cross to his seat and pulled her own seat out so she could lie down. Lying down, she closed her eyes and put on her sun glasses. "I'm going to get some sleep, wake me when we get to the next town." 

"Alright." Nick stared out at the moon from his window, wondering what he was going to do about this beautiful young woman. He'd be a fool to pass up this opportunity at seducing her, but then again, he'd be a fool for taking the opportunity. He had already seen that she was no one to be taken lightly. But as Nick watched her body finally relax and her breathing calm to a soft pace, he knew that he had to have her. So he put out his cigarette to get some sleep of his own because he knew things were about to get crazy. 

  
"Mika, wake up. We've arrived." Nick took off her sunglasses to make sure she awoke and realized he made a mistake. He would have that image of her - her opening her eyes slowly, lazily as if they were heavy with tiredness from a long night of pure satisfaction, those eyes opening up to him as if he were the cause of that satisfaction - stuck in his head for days and nights. 

She looked up at him for a moment, then got up casually to get the bag they had picked up on their way to the train station. He already had his bag slung over his shoulder and his cross waiting by the door. Putting on her sunglasses, she walked out and he followed. It was early morning, probably about seven. No one tried to stop them and he guessed the news hadn't reached this town yet. But then again, the police weren't what they used to be. He shrugged it off so he could devote his full attention to the way Mika's hips moved side to side. He would be drooling soon. 

"If you keep staring like that Nick you'll draw attention to yourself." His head snapped up quickly. "Someone might think you are following me and have intentions of trying to get me to a place where you can attack me where many people aren't around." She looked at him over her shoulder and kept walking. 

"I can't help it. How did you know?" 

"You're only human and male and typical." 

"Typical?" He laughed and stopped to light a cigarette. Mika stopped and faced him, surprised at the way his laugh made her stomach flutter with butterflies. "Typical." He laughed again, as if she had told the funniest joke in the world. "Of all the things to call me Mika. You shouldn't judge me so quickly." She turned and kept walking. 

She went into an abandoned car garage and after he entered, she closed the doors behind him. Dropping her bag on the floor, she bent over it and pulled out a small remote. At the push of a button, a section of the floor in the middle of the garage creaked open. She rose and walked over to it and walked down a ramp that led into the ground. It was deep enough to be about a foot taller than her and wide enough to hold a small car - which it did. 

She drove the car up the small ramp and pressed the button to close the door. The car was ancient - literally. It had to be at least one hundred years old. It was some kind of convertible, red and appeared as though it had been in an auto shop many times. He stared at it, not believing his own eyes. She grinned at him as she stepped out of the car and hauled his cross to the car herself. 

"Do you think you could manage to open the doors?" She got back in the car, revved the engine a little. 

He did as she asked and closed them when she pulled the car out. He got in the passenger's seat and looked at her. "What's with this ancient car?" 

"It's not as ancient as it looks. All the parts are of this time, I assure you. The police have more trouble keeping track of an old car like this." She drove the car faster than necessary and when she reached the edge of town where the road stretched for ages, she drove even faster. 

"So where are we headed to?" 

She shrugged. "I've got no place to go. Anywhere you wanna go?" 

"I'll go wherever you take me honey." He stared at her, couldn't help it. The wind sent her hair flying behind her reminding him of the way waves moved in the ocean. She looked a lot more approachable now with that goofy grin planted on her face and the sun beginning to set on her left side. She had to be the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life. He wondered what it would take to get her into bed... 

She turned to look at him only to find him staring at her in such an intense way that her heart began to beat faster. She looked away, blushing a little, then turned back to see if he had stopped. He hadn't. "What are you looking at?" It was like those eyes were looking into her soul. 

"You, beautiful." He smiled, then began laughing as she blushed. "Don't tell me you've never caught men staring at you at least a million times." 

She pushed her hair behind her ear and focused her attention on the road. "Of course I've caught them." But not when someone was staring at me the way you were, she thought to herself. She shrugged it off. 

"Am I making you nervous?" When she didn't answer he reached over to run a hand through her hair. She jumped and he pulled his hand away. "I am. I'll have to do it more often." 

She said nothing and pushed the car faster as day gave way to night. 


	3. A Look Into The Past

Mika pulled up to a small hotel when they reached the next town. It was almost nine now and Nick was tired from his lack of sleep. He patted his growling stomach, thinking he should oblige it soon. Mika leaned to the back seat to get something out of her bag and gave him a nice view of her breast. When she began to sit back up he quickly looked away. Gracefully she got out of the car. 

"I'm paying for the room so can I assume you'll be paying for food?" 

"I've got no money, beautiful." He glanced at her. 

"Guess you won't be getting a room." She walked away and into the office of the hotel. She came out a little while later and got back in the car. She moved it to a parking space in front of their room and got out. Nick got his cross out of the car and set it down to get his bag. She let him bring his cross into the room before she pushed him out. 

"What are you doing?" 

"You're going to get some food." She hurried into the room and locked the door behind her. 

He stared at the door for a moment, brooding. "Women." He walked off to a restaurant near the hotel. Since she left the ordering up to him, he ordered what he would want for the both of them. While he waited, he lit a cigarette. 

  
Mika took this opportunity to shower and to think. She needed to get some more money and that was simple enough, it is too easy to rob someone. That was really the least of her worries. They would be after her again, but she could handle the men they sent after her. Take most of their money. They never learned. But he would come for her eventually and she didn't know what to expect. All she could do now was prepare herself and run when she had the chance. Maybe Nick could help her, he was better at using a gun than she was. 

Nick. He was so cute in a sexy kind of way. When she looked at him she would have never known he was capable of killing. He carried a cross, had crosses on the cuffs of his jacket. He seemed almost gentle and at ease. She smiled a little, relaxing under the spray of water. He was obviously attracted to her and not afraid to show it. But she wasn't giving in to that. Most men were only interested in her for her looks. He didn't like to be called typical so she would have to wait to see if he was or not. She hoped he wasn't. 

  
Nick knocked loudly and impatiently on the door. She had no right locking him out but when she opened the door, he decided he could forgive her. She smelled like heaven and it tied his stomach in knots. She wore a pair of boxers that showed off those legs that he'd wanted to see and a small shirt that clung to her figure. He wanted to drool. She smiled at him as if reading his thoughts. 

"Come in." She stepped to the side to let him in. There were two beds and the light in the bathroom was still on. He sat the food on the table as she closed and locked the door. She sat across from him and began to eat. He had hoped she would have complained because she didn't like what he got, but she made no objections. He ate as well, taking food from her plate even though he had plenty of his own. 

"Will you stop doing that?" 

"Why should I? I had to get the food so I can eat all of it." He grinned. 

"I could have gotten a room with one bed and made you sleep on the floor." 

"I would have gotten in the bed with you honey." He winked at her and rubbed his side. "I got hurt because of you." 

"What?" 

"I got hit by a bullet because of you." He pointed to his side where a bullet had grazed him, frowning a bit as if it hurt to even think about it. 

"Why didn't you say something earlier!" She jumped up and touched his side, then pulled him to his feet and pushed him towards the bathroom. "Take off your shirt so I can bandage it." She ran the water until it was warm and then wet a towel. He did as she said, saying nothing when she began to nurse his side. Her hair was brushing against his chest but he refrained from shivering. Then he let out a sound of pain. 

"What are you doing! That hurts!" He took a small step back, looking very hurt. 

"Oh you're such a baby, its just something to make sure you don't get an infection." 

"You're trying to kill me, I knew you would! What is that stuff, salt and water!?" 

"You're acting like a child. It doesn't hurt that much." He continued to whine as she wrapped the bandages around him. "There you big baby. I'm done." 

He sniffled and walked away while she rolled her eyes. Sitting on his bed, Nick took off his shoes and lay his shirt and jacket on one of the chairs. He glanced over at Mika where she was already sitting comfortably on the bed and reading a book. He rose to clean up their mess then went into the bathroom and cleaned himself up. Then he lay in his bed and smoked a cigarette. 

He sighed, wondering what the hell he was doing here. He needed to get his hands on some money, needed to take care of the orphanage. He shouldn't be here with a woman he hardly knew. He should just hop in her bed, get it over with and leave. But he wasn't like that. He couldn't remember ever having been so attracted to a woman this way before. It wasn't just her looks, she stood her own, seemed to be very strong. But everyone had a weakness no matter how strong, he wanted to find hers. 

"So where did you learn to do all this stuff Mika?" 

"Do what?" She kept reading, barely paying attention. 

"Learn how to fight, learn how to use a gun, running away without getting caught." 

"That last one is easy, you know that. I taught myself how to fight and use a gun, I mimicked whatever I could and tossed in whatever I thought would work better." She shrugged and began to brush her hair. 

"Why did you need to learn?" He looked at her, noticing that she began brushing her hair slowly and began stare at the bed. 

"I needed to find away to protect myself. I took some money from the wrong people, no biggy." She continued to stare blankly at the bed as if in a trance, brushing her hair slowly. She remembered how scared she had been at first, thinking she should turn herself in. But she knew he would still find someone to get to her and punish her or kill her. So she did what she could to survive today in hopes of seeing tomorrow. 

"I know what its like." She looked up to find Nick sitting next to her; she hadn't known when he sat there. "You're scared." 

"I am not." She pushed her hair behind her ear. 

"You are. You're strong from what I've seen Mika. Physically, mentally, and probably emotionally. But you don't have to be so strong all the time." 

"I have to be strong. You don't know me Nick." She looked up at him and into his eyes, trying to make him understand. She wanted to go to sleep, sleep was her only time for peace. 

"But I've known people like you so I know you Mika." He was serious, she could see it in his face. She frowned and placed her brush and book on the night stand. 

"Will you let me go to sleep please?" She spoke so softly that he let it go until another day. 

"Sure honey." Nick rose from her bed and turned off the lights. He climbed in his own bed and stared at the ceiling until he fell asleep. 


	4. The Plot Thickens

A/N: Hey guys really appreciate the reviews.

Battousai-heart - Really appreciate it! Looking forward to the completion of your fics. 

Princess of Pain - I think everyone knows that Nick dies....But for those I have spoiled it for, oops on my part. I didn't think to put a spoiler warning, mostly because I haven't even seen episode 23 myself so....yeah. Oh well! On with the story! 

Nick rolled over on his side to see if Mika was still sleeping. He blinked when he saw that she was gone. Rising from his bed, he checked in the bathroom only to find it empty. He looked outside to see if her car was there and it still was. His rubbed his stomach, hoping she had gone to get some breakfast. It was her turn to buy them some food even though they hadn't said they were taking turns. He figured he'd shower while he waited. Whistling, he grabbed his bag and went into the bathroom. 

He came out fifteen minutes later but Mika hadn't returned. He went over to the restaurant to see if she was there. When he didn't find her, he decided against asking around for her. So he went back to the hotel room to wait. 

Mika came back an hour later, carrying food for the both of them and a bag. She had left a little after seven and arrived a little after eight. "Nick I brought some food." She set the food on the table and her bag on her bed. "Donuts and hot chocolate, hope you like!" 

"Mika, where have you...What's with the wig?" Nick stared at her, torn between anger and confusion. 

"Didn't want to be recognized, makes sense right? I had some business to take care of." Mika went into the bathroom to take it off. 

"Robbing someone." He pulled some money out of her bag just as she came out of the bathroom. 

"Get out of there!" She snatched the money away and put it in the bag, then put the bag under her bed. "I didn't rob anyone." 

"Where did you get it then? What have you been doing for the past hour?" 

"That's my business, not yours Nick." 

"Of course its my business because I'm the one who is going to have to bail you out of trouble when someone comes after you!" 

"I can bail myself out of trouble, I don't need your help." 

"If you didn't need my help I wouldn't be here." 

"I didn't need your help at the bar, I could have taken care of them myself. Now stay out of my business." She sat down at the table and began eating. 

"I could have sworn you said you had no where to go." 

"Why does it matter? I needed to get some more money because I knew I didn't have enough for the both of us. Now I'm starting to regret that I was even concerned about you." 

Nick stared at her for a moment, then sat down to eat his breakfast. He hadn't meant to over react, he was just concerned. After a while he got up and grabbed his cross. "Thanks for the food honey, I've got to go take care of some business of my own." He kissed her on her head and walked out. "I'll be back." 

  
Two mysterious pair of men stood outside the bar where Mika had met Nick. They exchanged details while trying to pinpoint where Mika had gone next as they drove to the next town. 

"The owner of the bar said that a couple of men followed her out after she punched one of them. There was a man with a cross who followed after them. He said he figured since he was a preacher he'd try to get them to settle things without violence." He loosened his tie while his partner, Jack, drove. 

"What happened to him?" 

"He said he'd seen him before, collecting money for the orphanage he supports. If she had killed him, the cross would have still been there so we have to assume he's with her." 

"That doesn't get us anywhere Mike." 

"We can try to hack into some bank's computers and see what churches receive regular donations." 

"And how are we going to know if an account belongs to a church or not? Come on Mike, be logical." 

"You know the boss will do anything to find her. I've already told him about it, he'll find away whether it's logical or not. We've got to get him something to go with Jack." 

"Alright, but even if it works I don't know if we'll be able to catch her." 

  
Nick returned to the hotel a little after six. He had managed to make some of his own money, most of which he sent to the orphanage. He still felt kind of bad about using Mika's money, but since she seemed to have an endless supply, he wouldn't complain. That would allow him to give more to the children who needed it most. He saw Mika coming back from the restaurant with some food and waited for her to catch up with him. 

"Hey honey." He stared at her behind his sunglasses and did his best to hold his sigh. 

"Hey." She continued to walk and he stayed close to her side. 

"What you got there?" 

"Potato soup." 

"Never tried it." He opened the hotel door for her. 

"You'll like it." She sat down at the table and pulled the food out of the bag. "You should try it with a little cheese, you'll probably like that too." She put a handful of cheese in her own and ate quietly. 

Nick set his cross down and kicked off his shoes before he sat. Stretching a little he began to eat his food. "We should go to the bar in the restaurant a little later and have a few drinks." 

"Alright." 

"Look, Mika I'm sorry about earlier. I over reacted. You're way to quiet and calm and its making me nervous." 

"I should make you nervous more often." She smiled a little. 

He raised his eyebrows. "You made me nervous last night when I came back with the food only to find a gorgeous smelling woman fresh out of the shower in some sexy pjs." He put a hand on the back of his head and laughed, a little embarrassed. "I don't know how I managed to keep my hands off you." 

Mika got up to throw away her bowl, smiling even more. Then she lay out on her bed. "That's very flattering." 

"You're very attractive Mika, your strength makes you even more attractive." Nick finished off his soup then got up to put his shoes back on. "Let's go to the bar." 

"I'll meet you down there in a little while." 

"Alright." He walked out. 

Mika sighed to herself and curled up in a little ball on her bed. He wasn't typical, that much she could tell. He was still a mystery to her, there was so much she didn't know about him. But he wasn't typical. It was only their third day together and she was already starting to really like him. Jumping from the bed, she ran to the window to watch him. He had just gone into the restaurant when she was about to turn to put her shoes on when she saw two men in suits nicer than Nicks get out of a car. They walked into the bar after him. 

Instantly Mika moved quickly, packing her things. She hauled them and Nick's cross to her car at one time. Shit! How the hell did they find her? They were going after Nick, they must have found her through Nick. She had put him in danger, she thought as she moved the car to an alley behind the restaurant. She hurried back around the front and went to the office to pay for the room. She put on her sunglasses before she entered the restaurant, walked casually through to the bar and prepared herself for trouble. 


	5. An Easy Escape

Life after Death 

"I'm sorry gentlemen, I don't know where or who this Mika person is." Nick examined the two men that stood near the bar. 

"We got word that you followed after her a couple of nights ago. I'd think it would be to your advantage to tell us." Jack gave Nick a cold stare not sure whether to believe him or not. The guy looked harmless, but you didn't find a priest in a bar with a cigarette and alcohol. 

"Are you suggesting that it would be to my disadvantage that I can't tell you what I don't know?" 

"It could be." Mike spoke up now, giving Nick the same stare as his partner. 

"You two shouldn't make threats you can't keep." Mika stood by the door of the bar, listening and watching. From what she could tell, there were only two of them. They hadn't brought anyone with them again even though that seemed to be their mistake every time they came after her. Maybe they had planned to hold Nick hostage unless she turned herself over. That only proved that they made another mistake in not knowing who Nick was. 

"We'll do more than threat Mika." Jack pulled out his gun as Mike stood behind Nick and pointed it at Nick. "Come with us and we won't kill your friend." 

"Friend?" Mika slid down her glasses an inch and looked at Nick as if she'd never seen him before. "Never seen him before. You want to kill him, you know that I won't care." 

Jack glared at her. "Friend or not, we'll take him to the boss and tell him you've been sleeping with this guy. You belong to him Mika and he won't take kindly to you sleeping with other men." 

"That's a load of shit and you know it. You guys are nothing but poor excuses for men who suck on Bronze's nuts for a few bucks. I have never belonged to him and I will never belong to him. Tell him that. Lets take this outside boys and try to settle it like real men." With that, Mika walked out, not afraid to turn her back on her enemies and hoping that Nick wouldn't do anything until he got out of the bar. 

She leaned on their car, knowing it was theirs. Bronze always used the same cars. They came out, one with their hand on Nick's arm and other with the gun pointed towards him. Mika could tell Nick was mad, but she'd deal with him later. She started to take a step towards them when Nick lashed out. He quickly and easily snatched the gun from Jack and sent him falling on his ass when Nick hit him with it in the nose. Mike was slow to react so as he went to hit Nick with his fist, it was easily caught in Nick's palm. Then Nick hit him in the nose with the gun as well. He stood over the two men with his gun and Jacks gun pointed at their heads. 

"Nick don't!" Mika ran over to them, rope in hand. "Tie them up and put them in the car." She quickly tied up Jack and easily hauled him to the car as Nick took care of Mike. She pushed Jack in the backseat and then Mike followed. 

"We'll find you again Mika." Mike whispered quietly so only she could hear. "He'll keep donating to his church and we'll keep finding you." 

"Shut the hell up Mike!" Jack tried to kick him, but failed. 

Mika closed the door and took Nick to the side. "You've been donating to a church? They found me because of you!" 

"Don't you dare yell at me. Who the hell are they Mika? Why are they after you?" Nick grabbed her arm. "Tell me Mika, now." 

"I'll tell you later, I swear. But we have to get out of here. My car is in the alley behind the restaurant. I want you to drive towards the town where we met and stop at the train station there. I'll meet up with you and we'll drive until I say we've driven far enough. Just trust me on this Nick and do as I say, please." She didn't wait for an answer and headed to the car to abandon Jack and Mike some where. She stuck her head out the window and called to Nick when she saw that he wasn't moving. "Go Nick and hurry, I promise I'll be there." Then she was gone. 

  
When Nick reached the town he decided to call the orphanage and tell them he wouldn't be sending any money for a while. He hated to do it, was hurt by the fact that he had to but he didn't want to risk them getting hurt because of the people who were after Mika. He would help her settle that and soon. He wanted her safe at all times and he would not allow anyone to threaten her life. 

"Grace, hi. This is Nick." 

"Oh hi Nick! We received your money but I've got some great news!" 

"What is it?" 

"We received some big donations from a couple of businesses and I mean big. So big that we are well off for at least the next two years. They said they would continue to sponsor us too!" 

Nick was speechless for a moment, then he became a little suspicious. "That's wonderful Grace." 

"You won't need to send us some money for a while Nick so don't you worry about it. Go out and celebrate because the Lord has truly blessed us!" 

"Yes. I'll talk to you later, good bye." 

"Bye!" 

Nick hung up and stared at the phone for a long while. This didn't seem right at all. He had a feeling that whatever had happened two days ago had something to do with this. He had a lot of questions to ask and Mika had better have the answers. He'd worried the whole drive, hoping she was all right and that he would see her again. He sat at the train station with a cigarette in his mouth and his Cross Punisher by his side just in case. He didn't know when she would be there, but he hoped it was soon. He didn't know where he would go if she didn't come by nightfall. 

"Nicholas." 

At the sound of his name coming from a familiar female voice Nick sat up a little and turned towards it. He rose when he saw Mika, questions ready to spill from his mouth but he stopped them. From what he could see of her face he could tell that she was a little pale. Frightened, he assumed. He looked back to see if a train had come in and he'd been too distracted to notice, but there was no train on the track. He turned back to her. 

"I thought it wise not to ride the train because they would think of that. I took a private plane all the way here. Where's the car?" 

Nick picked up his Cross and went to where he left the car. Mika climbed in the driver's seat as Nick put it his Cross in the back seat. Jumping in, Mika took off, driving just a little bit faster that Nick had when he was on his way here. Nick wanted to ask questions but Mika didn't appear as if she could handle them. She was shaken, though she tried to hide it behind all that strong woman. He had told her not to do that and it made him want to hold her until she drained herself weak from the tears she shed. He'd see to that later but for now he let her drive. 

  
Nick was on and off of sleep the entire trip. He didn't sleep the entire time he drove to meet up with Mika and sleep was becoming hard for him to fight. He was only vaguely aware of how many days Mika had been driving but he knew it was time to stop. 

"Mika." 

"Yes?" 

"Stop at the next town." 

"Why?" 

"You've been driving to long, you need to rest. I am too tired to drive and I know it won't be long before you fall asleep and kill us both." 

"I will not." 

"Don't argue, just stop at the next town." He sat up and forced himself to stay awake. He was hungry and he wanted to shower. He knew Mika wanted the same. 

"Fine." The nearest town was coming up so they would be there soon. She wanted desperately to loose herself in sleep but she knew Nick would probably ask questions. But as usual, her mind wandered back to Bronze as she tried to figure out what he might to next. 


	6. Revelation

A/N: Sorry for the late update (for anyone who cares =(...), been a little busy with school....15 more days until graduation! Meanwhile...I've been watching Inuyasha almost everyday..instead of working on my other fic..It does however, provide me with enspiration for the sequel to my current Sesshoumaru fic...hopefully I'll find the time to do that soon. Thanks for the reviews! Hope you enjoy! 

Mika pulled up to a hotel and jumped out of the car to go pay for a room. She returned a little later, reminding Nick of the first time they had checked into a hotel. Thinking it wouldn't be the last time. Again she parked in a parking space nearest the room but when she opened the door to their room, Nick saw that there was only one bed. She sat down on it and held her head in her hands. 

"Uh..honey, were they out of rooms with two beds?" 

Mika looked up quickly then looked around the room. "What? Oh..I'm sorry, my mind was wandering. Force of habit. I'm sorry." 

"Its okay." Nick brought in his Cross and turned on the light, which she hadn't bothered to do. After setting down his Cross and closing the door, Nick picked up the phone and ordered some food. Then he sat next to Mika and wrapped an arm around her waist. "I'm tired, you're tired and food is on the way, but I want you to tell me now." 

She sighed and kept her hands on her forehead as she spoke. "Bronze and I grew up next door to each other. My family was rich but not nearly as rich as his. Anyways, we played together every now and then, went to school together. But when I was old enough to be on my own, I left to travel the world and study abroad. I learned a lot of self defense and took a few lessons about using a gun. Just the basics because I didn't think I would need it. My parents owned a couple of businesses which is why we had money and when they died, I was left all the money and the businesses because I was the only child. 

"When I went home to take care of the funeral and selling the house and other stuff like that, I saw Bronze again. He still lived in the same house and had already taken over his family's business. His parents had died a few years before mine. We got together a few times while I was taking care of things, I felt he was trying to comfort me because he knew my parents. But soon I learned that he had a thing for me and he had become a man who always got what he wanted and got it through whatever means it took. I heard from a few friends that he was upset that I left and intended to keep me from leaving so we could be together." She took a deep breath at the knock at the door and rose when Nick went to get the food. She sat at the table, staring at it as he placed food in front of her. 

"You need to eat." 

She nodded and ate while she talked. "I was of course apalled at the thought. I would never be forced into something that I didn't want. Bronze is attractive, I must admit, but I never felt that way about him. He called me a lot after I found out, trying to convince me to stay and be with him. He sent me things and much more that are designed to win a womans heart. I told him over and over again that I was sorry that I didn't return his feelings. It seemed as if the more I told him no, the harder he tried. I kept myself busy trying to decide what to do with the business. Then one day after a buyer came to look at the house Bronze came to visit me. He was angry because he had found out that I was sending all his gifts back to him. 

"He yelled, screamed and acted way to much like a man who was too used to getting his way. He cursed me as he fought to take me up to my room. I paniced and screamed for help. He told me it was useless because his men were gaurding the door and they would tell anyone who came by that nothing was going on. About halfway up the stairs I kicked him in his crotch and stumbled down the steps, trying to get to out. He caught me though and trapped me against a wall, then he told me that if I didn't promise to marry him he would rape me. Even if I had said yes I knew he would rape me anyways. He said that if I said no he would just lock me in his house. 

"I was afraid by then and was about to have a breakdown when I remembered I could fight back. And I did. It took me a while break free from his hold but when I had, I kicked his ass. I made sex noises so his gaurds wouldn't come in. After I knocked him unconcious I grabbed the rest of my things and went to a friends house. She told me that I wouldn't be safe because Bronze was a dangerous man. He did whatever he could to get money. He was sometimes hired as an assassin, sold drugs and many other illegal items, but mostly he ran the family business even though no one really knows what they do. She said Bronze would just send his men after me because he always got what he wanted. 

"I left immediately that night and contacted a friend that I met during my traveling. I turned the business to her because I didn't want Bronze to find me through it. I still have real ownership but it appears as if it belongs to her. Meaning, I get a paycheck to let them use my family's things to run the business. Thats where I got the money. I've only robbed people to distract Bronze's men. The deaths, well those were an unfortunate event that just sort of happened, like at the bar. Anyways, the first time I encountered some of his men, I forced them to give me half the money in his bank account. I regret that because it made him even more mad. He's been chasing after me for two and a half years and I have no clue when it will end." 

She rose and took off her shirt, wearing only a small tank top under it. She took off her shoes and sat on the bed, holding her head down with her hands on her forehead. "I keep running but I know it will only be a matter of time before Bronze comes with everyone and everything. There will be many deaths, I will kill him before I let him take me and if I can't, I will kill me before I let him take me." 

Nick balled his fist up under the table. Neither one of them had ate, he himself had lost his appetite. He suddenly had a great need to hunt this Bronze down and shoot his balls off then shove the remains down his throat. Nick had never been known for such violence. Her body had begun to shake despite her attempts to control it and she had gotten paler. He rose and took off his jacket and shoes, then he crawled in the bed next to Mika. He pulled her in his lap even though she fought him. 

"Mika, you're so strong. I admire you so much for that. But let it go honey." He brushed some hair from her face and placed a small kiss on her lips. "Bronze won't hurt you as long as I am here." She began to cry and still she tried to hold them back. "You'll still be strong when you're done crying, if not stronger." Then she brokedown and he held her closer, rocking her slowly until she cried herself to sleep. 

  
When Mika woke the next morning she was lying across Nick's chest and his arm was wrapped posessively around her. He was already awake, enjoying a cigarette. She stayed where she was and listened to his heart beat. She was beginning to care to much about him and she would never forgive herself if something happened to him because of her. He wouldn't back down now, that was clear. She would probably have a chance now. She would survive so she could run off some where with Nick...maybe start a family. 

Woah, she thought. Where did that come from? She hardly knew him. He was a kind man even though he sometimes appeared dangerous. He regularly supported an orphanage and there were hardly any men who would do that. She liked that about him. She liked him, a lot. She sighed and shifted a little. 

"Did you send that money to the orphanage?" Nick ran a hand through her hair, realizing that she had awaken. 

"You know about that? Yeah I did, hope you don't mind." She sat up and frowned down at him. 

"At first I did because I thought maybe you robbed someone or something." He sat up a little to put his cigarette then pulled Mika down to wrap his arms around her. "Go back to sleep, I know you're tired because I am." 

"But - " She stopped when he placed a hand under her chin and brought her face close to his. He kissed her once, then again, this time deepening it. She forgot what she was about to say, forgot everything. Her heart began to beat faster as she lost herself in the kiss. She was about to pull him closer when he broke the kiss, leaving her mind sizzling. 

He rubbed his thumb over her lips gently, staring into her eyes. "Now sleep." 

"I don't know how you expect me to sleep now." She stared at him as he laughed. 

"Sorry honey, guess I over did it." He flashed a grin at her and laid down. He closed his eyes and she cuddled up to him. She fell asleep more easily than she thought she would. 

  
When she woke again, Nick was gone. Her stomach growled loudly and she hoped that he went to get food. She rose and went into the bathroom to shower. She hummed a little once she got in, suprisingly in a good mood despite her situation. She ducked under the showerhead, letting the water soak her head when two arms came around her waist. She screamed and turned around to find Nick standing behind her, dressed for the ocassion. 

"Nick what are you doing!?" 

"Joining you in the shower honey. You don't mind you do?" He grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist, placing a kiss on her lips. Then he pushed her back a little to take a look of her. 

She blushed brightly as he looked at her and as she looked at him. "You could have waited." 

"I could have but then I would have missed this opportunity at seeing you all wet and sexy." He grinned again. 

She stared at him, a little confused. "Why are you doing this now Nick?" 

"You think I'm doing this because you're vulnerable? Maybe..but I just realized how much I want you. You'll just have to deal with it!" He aimed the showerhead at her. When she squealed he laughed and picked her up to give her a kiss. Then he tickled her sides to hear her giggle. She tickled him back, laughing. Then grinned playfully at him when he bent down to kiss her. 


	7. Things Heat Up

A/N: Mwhahahah! For those you who thought something happened between Mika and Nick in the shower - sadly mistaken. Hahaha..I am not writing lemons yet...this is my first fic. _But_ there is a lemony part coming up next but I leave it all up to your imagination. Have fun. ^_^ 

  
"I don't feel like riding in a car tonight Mika. We've been driving for almost three days." Nick sent puppy eyes over at her when he stopped eating. He whined a little to add to it. 

"You're such a baby sometimes Nick. We've slept nearly the whole time we've been here so you can't possibly need to rest anymore." She forked some of Nick's steak into her mouth after he slapped at her hand. 

"Don't steal my food! I don't feel like running from you're coward of a friend Mika. It makes me want to do something dangerous." 

"Look, I've got this apartment in the next town. No one knows about it but my friend so we can stay there for a lot longer than we can in a hotel." She rose to throw her box away then stretched as she spoke. "So quit your bitching and let's go already." 

Nick got up and tackled her down to the bed. When she began to squeal he tickled her until she laughed. "Don't you tell me what to do honey." Leaning down, he nipped her bottom lip then rolled off of her. 

She gave him a playful shove before getting up to pack her things. "Just come on so we can go you brat." When she finished she took some money out and put on her shoes. She brought her bag out and set it in the car. She waited until he dragged his things out to lock the door. She handed him the keys and the money. "Go pay for the room and I'll handle this." 

Nick pinched her butt before walking away, earning a slap on the back. She pulled up to the office just as he came out and he quickly hopped in. "Lets go honey." He smiled at her and lit a cigarette when she drove off. 

"You sure do smoke a lot." She took the cigarette away from him for a moment to take a drag. He gaped at her and reached for it, whining again. She laughed and held it from him. 

"Hey! Give it back, you need to concentrate on driving not on keeping my cigarette from me!" He leaned over and snatched it from her and put it back in his mouth. 

"Why do you always carry that cross Nick?" 

He looked at her as a smile spread slowly over his face. He took a drag from his cigarette and blew the smoke out in her direction, eyeing her coolly. "That's my secret honey. I might let you know later." In fact, he planned on using it on Bronze when he had the chance. 

She shrugged and drove on in silence. He stared at her, wondering why she had turned so shy in the shower. She should have been used to a man hopping in the shower with her, taking a good look at her body. She was beautiful, what man didn't take the chance to look at her? But Mika had acted as if it was all new to her at first. She relaxed a bit afterwards to let him wash her but there was still something odd about her behavior. He wanted to take things slow for a while so it didn't seem like he was trying to take advantage of her. But damn it killed him to wait. 

  
They arrived at her apartment early the next morning after they stopped for some breakfast. Nick munched on a donut as he dragged his Cross and bag into the room. 

"I've got no food so we'll probably have to go out and buy some later. But right now this will do before I get some sleep." She smiled at him then sat on the couch to eat her food. 

"Pretty snazzy place you got here." The paintings on the wall were of sunsets, clouds showered with the sun, the moon sitting in a clear sky with millions of stars. "I get the feeling you like to look up at the sky." 

She nodded and smiled at him again. "I just find it so beautiful for some reason. I like tigers a lot to so that's how my room is decorated. I've only got one bedroom again, so you can sleep on the couch." She rose to throw her cup away in the kitchen and see how empty the refrigerator was. 

Nick stood in the opening between the kitchen and her living room. He pulled out a cigarette, lit it and watched her as he took a drag. "Why are you afraid to sleep with me?" 

She stood up and turned to face him. "What are you talking about?" 

"I've already slept in the same bed as you Mika. Why would I sleep on the couch now? You're afraid of something." 

"I'm not afraid of anything." She pushed her hair behind her ear and got a glass of water. She placed her cup in the sink and walked towards Nick to go to her room. 

"I've learned that you hide things, especially your fears because you try to be so strong." He followed her out and stopped her in the hallway. Trapping her against the wall between his arms, he leaned forward so their faces were inches apart. "You were afraid to let me see you naked, almost afraid to let me touch you. Did someone rape you Mika? Did Bronze rape you? Something has you afraid of the idea of sex." 

She pushed him away and glared at him. "No one raped me Nick and I'm not afraid of sex." 

"I think you're lying. Why don't we see then?" He took his cigarette out of his mouth and wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her against him. Then he kissed her as he led her the rest of the way down the hall to her room. He quickly found something to put his cigarette out in so he could use both of his hands on her body. When she didn't resist him, he pushed her down on the bed and began to undress her. She moved hesitantly, still making him wonder what she was hiding, what she was scared of. 

Nick pulled his own clothes off as he watched her. She stared at him and he expected to see anticipation, excitement. Maybe female satisfaction, but he saw none of that. He leaned over her and wrapped her legs around his waist. He stopped as he felt her body go tense and stared into her face. Puzzled, Nick tried to figure out what was wrong. Then it hit him. She couldn't...she wasn't...shit! 

"Mika you haven't...are you a..a virgin?" She looked away and nodded her head. She was untouched, was all Nick could think. He would be the first and he was rushing things. "Why didn't you tell me?" He rubbed a hand over her cheek. 

"I- I didn't want to...I don't know." 

He leaned down and kissed her lips gently. "I'll try not to hurt you to much, honey. I'll go slow and show you some neat things." He smiled at her, trying to reassure her. He kissed her again and didn't realize he made a promise to himself to be the first and last to touch her. (A/N:Let your imagination run wild ^_^) 

  
When Nick woke the next morning he found that Mika was still sleeping. Because she lay across his chest, he stroked her back idly, enjoying the feel of her soft skin. Oh how he did enjoy the feel of her skin, he thought with a small grin. Her body was quite nice. In fact....he rolled her over on her back and settled himself between her legs. He would enjoy again how her body moved in response to his. He slid himself into her just as she awakened. She let out a small cry and focused on him as he began to move. He grinned at her as he leaned down to kiss her. 

  
Mika yawned as she came out of her bedroom. Nick was sitting on the couch enjoying a cigarette and listening to the radio. "Where's breakfast?" 

Nick blinked at her. "Unless you know magic honey, there is no way I can make something out of nothing." 

"Oh." She laughed. "I forgot about that. I'll get dressed and we can go out to get breakfast. Then we'll stop at the store to stock up this house with some food." She yawned again and stretched as she walked into the kitchen to get some water. As she drank she checked the cabinets. "It really is empty in here." 

Nick came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Dance with me honey!" He whirled her into the living room and spent her in a circle. 

She laughed and held on to him. "Nick, let me go. I need to get dressed so we don't starve." 

He ignored her and sent her spinning again, singing the lyrics of the song. "You're such a good dancer honey." He let her because he was hungry. "Now hurry up, I'm already starving." 

She walked away and sent him a look over her shoulder that made him want to jump back in bed with her. "Whatever you say." 


	8. Anger On All Sides

A/N: Once again really appreciate the reviews. *wipes the tears from my eye* 

  
"His name is Nicholas Wolfwood. Preacher who supports an orphanage. Infamous for being a very dangerous man. Anyone who encounters him usually doesn't come back the same man he was before. The small amount of information we have is that he used to be an assassin. We can assume this is true because of his history." Jack stared at the back of Bronze's chair nervously. He would not be pleased with this news. 

"And you haven't been able to find them?" 

"No sir. They've gone in to hiding. We have people in every town within a hundred-mile radius of where we saw them last. We don't think that Nick will be making any more donations to his orphanage because it received very large donations from a business chain. That's a dead end." 

"She's scared, that's good." Bronze rubbed his hands together as he stared at the screen in front of him. "She'll be more careful because she's scared, but that's fine. One of them will slip up eventually so I want all efforts to be increased. I won't allow this man to run around with my woman, to even breathe in her presence. They'll both pay dearly though I can't decide yet who will pay more. Now get out of my face and find them." 

"Yes sir." Jack turned and left the office, happy to get out of Bronze's company before he decided to take his anger out on him. 

Bronze picked up a picture of Mika, stared at it. "You belong to me and you know it. We'll be reunited soon Mika. I have everything planned so it will only be a matter of time." 

  
"You're going to have to move quicker than that, Mika. There is no telling how much firepower and how many men Bronze will send after you. He's preparing to strike and he'll come at you with everything. That means you'll have to be quick and fast thinking if you want to stay alive." The training was going well. Nick was pushing Mika to her limits whenever he got the chance. She was a fast learner and pretty soon she might be as good with guns as he was. Maybe. 

"You don't have to tell me that Nick, I know it already. I have known it for many years." Mika sat and drank some water. She moved her shoulders, trying to relax. She was getting restless because of the anticipation, tired of waiting for Bronze to make a move, tired of wondering with fear what would be next. She and Nick had done nothing more than practice and train for many days. She'd been doing everything to try to prepare herself and she was tired of it. 

"Well don't get an attitude with me, I'm just trying to help." Nick watched as Mika got up and walked away. "Where are you going? We're not finished." 

"We are finished damnit. I'm going to go work out for a few hours." 

Nick caught up to her and grabbed her arm to turn her to face him. "Look, I don't give a rats ass about this little attitude you have. You need to focus on using that gun a little better especially when you don't know how long you have time to learn how to do so. I suggest you adjust your attitude and get with the program." 

"And I suggest you take your hands off me before I kick your ass. You're starting to piss me off and I don't give a damn what you think I should do about my attitude. So why don't you just go fuck yourself for a few hours so I can be alone?" She pulled her arm away and stalked off to the weight room. 

Nick stared after her for a few moments, equally pissed. Then decided to go work some of his own anger off. 

When Nick returned a few hours later, he was still angry. Apparently so was Mika. He watched as she took her anger out on a punching bag. She was soaked with sweat, her breathing was fast, and yet her punches kept coming with full force as if she wasn't tired. She moved quickly, skillfully, proving that though she was strong, she was all woman. If he wasn't so angry, he would have been very aroused. He cursed and stepped inside to use the treadmill. Ignoring her and not thinking, he set the speed to high as the machine began to run. After awhile he began coughing because of the lack of air in his lungs. Falling off, he collapsed to ground and tried to catch his breath. 

Mika walked over to him and tossed a bottle of water in his lap. She turned off the treadmill and stared down at him. "That's what you get for smoking so damn much." 

"Why don't you go back to your punching bag? I don't feel like hearing your mouth." 

"Fuck you." 

"I already have." He got to his feet and stared at her. She was glaring from his last comment; he could swear he saw fire in her eyes. "Good fuck too." Nick grinned when she charged at him and skillfully stepped aside. He wasn't quick enough to dodge the backhand, didn't see it coming in fact, so he stepped back in shock. He regained his senses in time to dodge more incoming punches. Then he grabbed her hands and pulled them behind her back as he pushed her against a wall. 

She stared at him, angry and hurt, as she struggled to catch her breath. He too was breathing heavily. She tried to knee him in the groin but he anticipated and stepped back in time. When he pulled her arms tighter behind her back she let out a small cry of pain. "You're hurting me bastard! Get your hands off of me!" 

"Shut the hell up. You can be angry all you want, you have a right to be. But you have no right to be angry with me. I'm not Bronze, Mika, you remember that." Nick pushed her away and walked off, leaving Mika to slid down to the floor and cry. 

  
Mika took her time in the shower. She needed time to pull herself together before she spoke to Nick. When she came out of the bathroom, she found him putting blankets on the couch and preparing to go to bed. "What are you doing Nick?" 

He didn't bother to turn around. "I'm getting ready to go to bed." He fluffed some pillows, still trying to calm himself down. 

"On the couch? Why?" 

"Because I don't feel like sleeping with you tonight." He turned to face her then, got a good look at her and forgot he was angry. "What's wrong?" He quickly came to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. 

"What are you talking about?" She stared up at him. 

"You've been crying. Your eyes are still puffy and the red isn't quite gone." When she looked away he pulled her into his arms. 

"I didn't think you would notice." She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. "I'm so sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you. I'm just so frustrated at living like this. Having to work to protect myself from some spoiled brat with too much power. Having to wait without knowing what's going to happen. I hate this." 

Nick held her tighter and kissed the top of her head. "I know it's hard but you have to take it one day at a time. We'll be ready for him when he comes. I'll be right by your side the entire time. I won't let you do this alone Mika, I'm here for you." 

"Will you come to bed with me?" 

"Yeah." He followed her to her bedroom and climbed in the bed. She lay across his chest, fell asleep almost immediately. Nick stared at the ceiling and waited for the ache in his heart to go away. He was loosing his mind. He was starting to care about this woman too much, no, he already cared too much. He hurt because she did. He wasn't afraid like she was, but afraid for her. And damnit, he was falling in love with her. But he knew all emotion had to be put aside. First things first, Nick thought. He had to get rid of the one thing that stood between him and Mika. 


	9. Beginning of the End

"I think we should go back and train some more Mika. It's not smart to be seen in public." Nick looked around discreetly for any signs of people who would looked suspicious. 

"That is exactly why we are wearing wigs, so relax. We have been training for weeks it seems!" And if they see us, Mika thought, they'll be more inclined to act. She wanted them too attack so she could end this and go start a family or something with Nick. She was so tired of going out in public wearing a wig, having to constantly watch her back, never being able to truly relax. She liked the secret life but she wanted to live it...openly in a way. She didn't want to walk down the street and be afraid. She sighed and leaned her head against Nicks shoulder as they walked down the street. The sun was setting ahead of them and she resisted the urge to go in the store and buy that cute little dress in the window. 

"Women I swear and stop eyeing that dress." He pulled her across the street and held her hand as the walked past the windows of other shops. He wanted them to look as couple like as possible. No, he didn't like being out in public at all. Maybe he could seduce her into going back to her apartment..."Hey honey..." Nick pulled her close to wrap his arms around her waist and leaned over to whisper something softly in her ear. He smiled when she gasped at his seductive words and pulled away. 

"Nick!" She blushed brightly and tried to hide her smile as she started to walk again. Her heart was pounding and the butterflies in her stomach had yet to settle down. 

"What? Am I taking that as I yes?" Nick pulled her to him again and kissed her lips. "Lets go back Mika. You look so beautiful with the sun setting on your face and it makes me want to do all those little things I told you about...So how about it?" He stared down into her eyes, waiting. 

Mika bit her lip to suppress a grin, something devilish flashed in her eyes as she leaned up to kiss him. "Well, what are you waiting on." With that, she turned and headed back to her apartment. 

  
Nick slipped quietly out of the bed, cautious not to awake his sleeping beauty. He walked to the window and opened it slightly, looking out into the night. He decided that they would move tomorrow, take up all their fire arms up to the abandoned warehouse where they had trained. He had called around the hotels to find out if there were any vacancies and found that many had a few left. Which meant, Nick thought, that Bronze was moving his men close because they had found them. He blew out smoke from his cigarette and began to sort out the steps of his plans. If they were not careful, neither of them would survive. 

Nick turned and stared at Mika's sleeping form, he walked over to the bed and climbed in it, not bothering to be quiet. She stirred in her sleep and he woke her with a kiss. She stared up at him sleepily and fulled the covers over her naked chest. "Is something wrong Nick?" 

He shook his head and traced her lips with is finger. "I just wanted to wake you and make love to you again. And I wanted to tell you I love you." He watched the suprise wash over her face and smiled. He climbed on top of her and kept his weight light on her and pulled the covers over them. He stared into her eyes. "And what about you Mika? Do you love me?" 

"Nick..." Mika wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Yes, yes I love you Nick." She kissed him again and began to show him just how much she did. 

  
Mika yawned over the stove as she fixed pancakes for herself and Nick. She placed the finished food on plates along with baccon and eggs the set them on the table. She went the fridgerator and pulled out some orange juice as Nick entered the room. She turned and sat at the table, taking a good look at Nick. "Whats going on? Why are you all dressed?" 

"We have a lot to do today Mika." Nick sat as well and began to eat. 

"Hmm, why? You look so sexy with all that stuble on your chin. Never shave." Mika reached over to trace a finger along his chin. 

Nick grabbed her hand and tried to be serious. "Bronze is in town." He felt her hand go cold and her eyes narrow. "I checked the vacancies of a couple hotels yesterday. Most of them only have a few available which tells me Bronze knows where we are. We are going to prepare today for hopefully a battle tonight." 

She slid her hand from his and stared down at her food, suddenly without appetite. She picked up her fork and ate anyway, knowing she would need the food for strenght. "I see. You have a plan then?" 

"Yes." He too ate his food, glad he didn't have to force her to eat her own. "We'll move all of our things to the warehouse. Prepare all of our firearms. They'll be on our turf so we'll have the advantage. You know my cross, the Cross Punisher?" She nodded. "We'll its the best weapon you'll ever see. Equipped with 8 .45 claibers, a rocket launcher and a machine gun. I should be able to take care of most of Bronze's as long as I have good cover. Thats what most of your training has been for." 

She rolled her eyes. "You boys and your toys. I'll show you why my car has been in the shop so many times and it has nothing to do with it being old." 

"So its packed with a lot of firearms then, thats good." He quickly recaculated his plans in his head. "Problem is, we don't know what kind of firearms your friend will have." 

"Knowing Bronze he will have everything under the sun." She sighed and finished off her breakfast in silence listening to Nick finish telling her his plan. She visualized them in her head, made slight changes that might help. 

  
"Do you think Bronze will know where this place is Mika?" 

"No I don't think so, there is no way he would know. We'll have to find a way to lure him to the wearhouse." Back in her bedroom, Mika strapped a knife to her leg and slipped the straps of of her gun harness around her shoulders. She put on her jacket and grabbed the keys to her car. The sun would be setting in an hour so they would probably fight into the night. 

"Alright. We'll drive around town before we head out to the warehouse and hope the spot us. They'll probably know its a trap but then again he would be anticpating that. Mika." Nick walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Don't be nervous, I'm going to be right by your side. I won't let anything happen to you, alright? I love you." He pulled her into her arms and held her close for a moment. 

"I love you too Nick." 

  
"We're assuming that they have rented an apartment or house or something because all of the hotels have been checked. However that have been no recent rentals of any such things." Mike spoke glancing around the room filled with his boss, his partner and several other men. So it would be soon, finally they would end this. But what if Mika was killed? Bronze has been obsessed with this woman for years, decades, if she died, what would he do? 

"Failure in another area I see. What else?" 

Jack spoke up now. "There have been a fair number of men placed stratregically around the city so if they come out in public, we'll spot them. Everything is requested and is ready to be used upon your orders. All we are waiting for now is for them to reveal themselves." At the knock of the door the men glanced towards it. 

"Enter." Bronze commanded. 

The door opened quickly and the man who entered nervously shifted. "Sir, we've spotted them. They drove through town and are headed towards an area of the city that isn't highly populated. They are in no way trying to hide themselves." 

"Good." Bronze stood and so did his men. "They want us to follow them, so we shall. Send the order to have my men move out. We'll follow them at a distance and end this tonight. There will be no failures and I want my woman alive or there will be hell to pay." 


	10. End of the Beginning

A/N: Alright folks...this is it. Its allll over after this. Hope you enjoyed it. I'll go devote my time to my Sesshoumaru fics now. I changed the ending based on a review I recieved a while back and I gotta say, I think this makes things nice and tidy! But anyway, the action scence or whatever you wanna call it was the best I could do...so...I hope you enjoy! Thanks for the reviews!! 

  
Mika and Nick slightly opened the entrance to the warehouse enough for her car to fit inside the door. The trunk faced the outside and Mika stood infront of it. Beside her, Nick had his Cross Punisher hidden in the shadows but prepared to go to work. As Bronze and his men approach Nick raised an eyebrow. 

"Is that a tank?" 

"Yeah, outdated though. Better get some more guns." Mika turned and strapped a gun on both of her hips. Nick did the same. 

"We'll start with the missles and rockets first then." Nick turned to watch her grin and couldn't help but smile. "You're excited aren't you?" 

She laughed and rubbed her hands together. "You bet." 

He winked at her. "My kind of woman." They both laughed. 

The tank and 15 trucks came to a hault about 50 feet away from Nick and Mika. A car pulled up in front and Bronze stepped out. He was about the same height as Nick, he was built thicker than Nick though, his hair was a light brown and his eyes were torquise, Mika remembered. He walked towards them and Mika sauntered towards him with Nick by her side. The men measured each other up behind their sun glasses. She knew they would both be angry though only Nick had a right to be. 

"I can see you have bad taste in men if you choose him over me Mika. Why don't you come with me quietly and we won't cut off all of his fingers. Let us end this little game." Bronze held out his hand to her, ignoring Nick. 

She resisted the urge to slap it or spit in it and stared at him, amusement in her eyes. "It ends tonight Bronze, but I won't be leaving with you. So how about we get this started?" She smiled sweetly and began to walk away. Nick stayed where he was. 

"You anger me woman, you'll pay and then I'll make you my slave." Bronze stomped off to his car. 

"Not going to stay and fight yourself Bronze?" Nick finally spoke up and watched Bronze turn around. "Can't even fight for the woman you want. Good thing she's my woman now and you'll never have her." 

Bronze controled his anger and opened the door to his car. "Destroy him!" The car quickly drove away and Nick returned to his spot beside Mika's car. "Ready honey?" 

"You know it." She climbed in the back seat of her car and pressed a button to release her weapons. Nick set up his Cross Punisher. Men were already piling out of Bronze's truck and heading towards them. "I wonder what kind of firearms that tank has and what other big shit they have." 

Nick glanced at her and put a cigarette in his mouth. "Lets just blow up the big shit." 

"Fine by me." They fired. Nick hit the tank, hoping to trigger more explosions. Mika hit the outer edges of their force. Men yelled, screamed but kept coming toward them. The sky turned brighter as the sun began to set and fire lit the area. Bronze's men fired something heazy, maybe a missle like their own, but hit the area of the warehouse to their left. Men came running up and Mika quickly took out her machine guns and took care of them as Nick fired more missles. 

"More big shit coming through!" Mika yelled as she jumped out of the car to get closer to take care of the men. Nick quickly took another tank out, his aim impeccable. It seemed almost to easy, Mika thought. Just as she did, men came stumbling through the back. "Fuck! Figures!" Nick shifted to the other end of his Cross Punisher and hosed the men down with is machine gun. "I got them Mika, get the ones up front." She quickly took out two grenades and hurled them into the crowd. She continued to fire, trying to keep a good distance between the men and the door. 

"Nick!" Mika quickly ran to Nick's side and stood behind the warehouse doors. "All this is pointless unless we get to Bronze. We have to take him out." She glanced towards the back door where a couple men had tried to get in. It pleased her to notice that Nick had found a way to pile up debri to block the door. She took a chance to look outside for Bronze's car. "I can't find his car." 

"Yeah, neither can I. Reload your car and we'll go out searching for him after we rain these guys with everything else we got. I'll cover." Nick turned and began to use his machines guns to take out anyone within its distance. There was still a lot of fight left in Bronze's men, it was impossible for them to know just how many people were coming. Well, Nick thought, I never thought it would be easy. Nick tossed away his old cigarette and lit another as Mika reloaded. "Mika, you drive, I'll shoot. We gotta make this quick alright." He quickly put his Cross in the back seat of the car and stood behind one of the warehouse doors. Mika took place behind the other one. "Ready?" When she nodded, they both opened their doors, revealing firearms of all kinds stacked on crates. Ready and waiting to be fired. 

Yells were heard throughout the open fields, some men began to retreat. Both Mika and Nick spotted some giant mechanical machine and didn't hesitate to release everything they had. Grenades, missles, machine guns, bombs that would burst into flames unpon contact. Whatever, whoever that was standing no longer stood. Mika quickly jumped into the car and turned it on, as she backed up, Nick jumped in, preparing to fire at anything that was blessed enough to survive. He let out a loud laugh as Mika sped in search for Bronze. "This is too much fun honey!" 

Mika finally spotted Bronze's car and increased the speed of her car. "Alright Nick, there is is. Wait? What is that?" Mika leaned foward, trying to figure out what was rising from the roof of Bronze's car. It wasn't until it was fired did she realize it was a missle. "Hold on Nick!" She quickly turned the car to escape the path of the missle. But the missle was quicker and hit near the rear of the car. The car toppled and skidded on its side before flipping upside down. 

Bronze grabbed his gun and quickly walked over to the car. Jack and Mike followed behind him, weapons in hand as well. They watched as Mika and Nick climbed out from under the flipped car. It appeared they suffered only slight injuries, Bronze thought to himself. That meant he would have the chance to make Nick suffer with is bare hands. 

"Oh that bitch is going to get it now, he ruined my car!" Mika helped Nick drag his precious Cross out from under the car. "Are you okay?" Mika screamed as she was pulled back by her hair and thrown to the ground. She looked up in time to see Bronze kick Nick in the stomach. 

"Doesn't look like he'll be okay now Mika." Bronze signaled to his men. Jack held Mika's arms behind her back and Mike did the same to Nick. "Come with me and maybe I'll let him live." He watched patiently as Mika used her leg to kick Jack in his crotch and flipp him over her shoulder. She pulled out two guns, shot Jack in his leg and held the other towards Bronze. 

Bronze shook his head. "Now I wouldn't do that." He held a gun to Nick's head. "Drop the gun and come with me Mika." 

"Don't listen to him Mika, just get out of here." Nick looked up at her as she shook her head and brought the gun to her head. "Mika, what are you doing?" 

Bronze stepped forward to stop her, Nick used his strength to throw Mike over his back then pulled out two guns and fired. Bronze quickly pulled out a gone a gun of his own. Both men shot at the same tim. Shots rang through the air, lighting up the sky in front of them. Mika screamed when she saw Nick fall to the ground. She ran to him, stepping over Bronze's bullet full body, and fell to Nick's side. 

  
"Honey, you're going to be the death of me one day." Nick glared at Mika as he walked out of the hospital and patted the cast on his right arm. "Thats the second bullet I've taken because of you. But I thank you for shooting Bronze before he could really do me some damage." 

"The first one grazed you, so it didn't count. And I did it as much for you as I did it for me. I'm just glad it's finally over." She stopped and smiled over at him, forgetting all that she had been through. "So Mr. Priest, what shall we do now? Run off spreading more havoc? Have a bunch of children so they can spread havoc in the future?" 

Nick stared at her for a moment, hearing "Mr. Priest" echo in his head as he tried to remember where he had heard it from. His vision blurred and Mika's figure appeared taller, her build bigger, her hair thicker but with the same length. A name filled his head. "Mille?" As he spoke it, the echos died down, his vision cleared, and Mika appeared before him as she had always been but there was a sly smile on her face. 

She kept the smile on her face as she held out her hand to Nick. "I suppose you can call me that to, but that was in another life." 

"When did you..." He could only stare as he took her hand. 

"Don't worry, I lived a lot longer than you did." She pulled him away with her, away from that life. "But you see, fate has given us another chance and now..." She brought him close and kissed him. "...now life is just beginning." 

"Yeah...I guess you're right." He stared down at her smile, taking in all that he had learned. A second chance...well he had better make the best of it. So saying, he lifted Mika over his coul shoulder and carried her off to the car. "Let's go get started on those kids." 


End file.
